The present invention relates to games of the type used in promotional campaigns or lotteries. The inventive method distributes game cards or receipts with codes to players, with the codes being validated and/or redeemed online.
One form of promotional campaign that has been used to attract customers to stores revolves around the use of game pieces. Fast food chain stores in particular have distributed game pieces to their customers, with the goal of increasing sales by attracting more or repeat customers. The game pieces sometimes provide an instant reward and may include a portion that is combined with other game pieces to redeem a different award.
In one game, a perforated cover conceals a hidden reward. To play the game, the player removes the cover to reveal the reward. In another game, a scratch-off cover conceals a selection of potential rewards and the player exposes a selected reward by scratching-off the cover with a coin, fingernail, etc. These games have been used by a variety of retail stores and especially fast food chain stores. State lotteries have also used such games.
In conventional game-piece campaigns and lotteries, the action of the game is confined to the real-world (a.k.a. xe2x80x9cdirt-worldxe2x80x9d), with the rewards comprising free food, prizes, or discounts. In the case of fast-food chain stores, the reward is typically a food item, for example, french fries or a hamburger. Such prizes are furnished by the franchisee, who may or may not be reimbursed by the game-sponsoring franchisor or corporation. If the franchisees are to be reimbursed, the game pieces must be collected from each franchisee, forwarded to a processing center, cleared, and a credit allocated to each respective franchisee. The small game pieces can be difficult to handle and processing the awarded prizes is costly.
At least one Burger King(copyright) restaurant franchisee has provided customers with access to the internet through computer terminals connected in his restaurant. As reported in The New York Times, customers receive a personal identification number (PIN) which entitles them to twenty minutes of internet access when they make a minimum purchase at the restaurant. Gambling and sex-oriented sites are blocked. The internet access provided to such customers is no greater than that of any other person who connects to the internet and the customer is not guided to any particular internet site. Further, the customer does not earn points or credits which permit access to sites or services which are otherwise restricted to members, subscribers, or viewers who pay a fee to access such sites or services.
There exists a need for an improved game in which rewards are enjoyed in the virtual world, such as at an internet site. Also needed is an improved game which provides secure distribution and redemption of game pieces and/or incentives to return to the source of the game without the customer having to identify himself. Further, franchisee""s are in need of an improved game to promote sales and customer interest wherein the rewards are disseminated by the franchisor. Moreover, store owners and franchisees alike are in need of an improved method to stimulate interest in their web sites and to encourage customers from the web site to their stores. The present invention satisfies these and other needs.
The present invention provides a method in which rewards are distributed to players with a code that permits them to validate the reward online and, if the reward is in the form of access to otherwise restricted internet sites or services, to redeem the reward online. The present invention is an improvement over conventional promotional games and lotteries in that it provides players with an incentive to visit a designated internet site or service. In further aspects, the invention provides an incentive for players to visit a predetermined retail store. In this respect, consumer traffic is directed to a designated internet site or service and then to a store, for example, the store where the game card or receipt was initially obtained. Thus, the present invention provides consumers with a reward for interacting with the internet site and/or stores of the game sponsor and its marketing partners. The reward can be validated, redeemed, and enjoyed without the customer""s identity being disclosed.
The incentive provided to the player may take the form of a reward of limited access to one or more designated internet-based sites or services. Such a reward can include limited use of a video game, search engine, or other commodity or entertainment available at designated sites on the internet, or limited access to magazine articles, research reports, music, or other commodity or entertainment available at designated sites on the internet. The reward can also be a discount or benefit which is received at a retail store after validating the game card or receipt at a preselected internet site.
In one respect, the invention provides a method for encouraging a customer to go online and visit one or more designated internet sites. The customer is provided with a game card which has a validation code that can be entered at such internet site(s). The customer is rewarded for visiting the designated internet site(s) with a benefit that can be redeemed at a predetermined store, for example, at a dirt-world store. To earn the benefit, the validation code must be received at the designated internet site(s) prior to visiting the predetermined store. Once the validation code is received, it is voided. In order to be voided, the code may need to be entered at more than one designated site. The benefit is provided to the customer upon tendering the game card if, at the predetermined store, the voided status of the game card is confirmed.
In another respect, a method for conducting a promotional game or lottery is described in which the awards include access to one or more predetermined internet-based services or sites. This method provides a customer with a game card which has a visible validation code. The customer inputs the validation code into a machine such as a computer connected to the internet, and is awarded with a number of e-points if the input validation code matches one of a plurality of validation codes stored at a remote site. The e-points are exchangeable for limited access to predetermined sites or services on the internet.
In yet another respect, the invention provides a method for rewarding customers with access to designated internet sites and services based upon purchase transactions made in a retail store. The customer is awarded a number of e-points and is provided with an award identifier. The award identifier is input by the customer into a machine, for example at a computer as described above. The customer is then provided with access to the designated internet sites or services in exchange for the e-points that were awarded. The e-points are decremented in response to use of such designated sites or services.
In still another respect of the invention, a method is provided for directing a customer from a retail store to a designated Internet site and then to a second store. In accordance with this method, a customer is provided with a visible validation code at a retail store, then registers the validation code at a designated Internet site. The validation code thereafter tested at a second store to determine if it has, in fact, been registered. The customer is provided with a benefit if the tested validation code was registered.
In a different arrangement, the invention provides a method for encouraging an individual to visit a designated Internet site prior to visiting one or more dirt-world stores. This arrangement calls for the a code to be obtained from an individual at a designated Internet site, to thereafter be received at a dirt-world store, and a benefit to be provided if the received code matches a stored code. In this arrangement, the code can originate with the individual or be harnessed from an existing medium, and need not be distributed by the host of the game.
Yet another arrangement of the invention provides a method for conducting a promotional game in which a third-party prize provider is enlisted to provide prizes for the promotional game, with each prize being enjoyed online. Codes can be distributed from one or more locations, with each code being redeemable for a chance to win at least one of the prizes. The codes are received at one or more designated Internet sites, and prizes are awarded in response to receiving such codes.
In another arrangement, a method for providing awards in the form of access to one or more predetermined Internet-based services or sites for which access is otherwise restricted is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a code to an individual at a first dirt-world store in response to a purchase transaction, receiving the code at a selected site on the Internet, and providing access to at least one of said predetermined Internet-based services or sites in response to receiving the code at said selected site.
In still another arrangement, a method for processing a validation code received at a point of sale (POS) machine during a purchase transaction is disclosed. A validation code is received from a customer at a POS machine. The validation code is then compared (locally or remotely) to a set of previously registered validation codes. A discount signal is generated in response to the comparison, the discount signal awarding the customer a discount if the customer has already registered the validation code at a designated Internet site. Finally, the customer is provided with a discounted purchase transaction in the amount of the awarded discount.
The e-point awards can be a reward of a predetermined number of e-points or a dynamically determined number of e-points. Customers may aggregate the e-point awards from plural game cards. The number of e-points may be decremented in response to use of the selected site or service, and the customer""s access to the selected site or service may be terminated when the e-points run out.
The validation code can take many forms. It may be a single string of alphanumeric characters. Alternatively, the validation code may include a master-code portion and a sub-code portion, and each game card can have a set of sub-codes from which only one sub-code may be entered. This permits a single game card to offer a selection of codes to choose from and adds to the excitement of the game. The validation codes may include one or more icons which must be matched to images displayed on the customer""s web browser once the customer accesses the remote site.
The features and advantages of one arrangement or embodiment disclosed herein can be applied to other arrangements or embodiments of the invention.
The foregoing and other aspects of the invention can be appreciated from the drawing Figures and Detailed Description.